Scheduling Error Delays Trial for Codefendant in 2021 Flowerton Road Homicide Case

By Sam Parrish [former] - August 2, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

The man charged in a 2021 Flowerton Road homicide was supposed to start his jury trial before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer on Aug. 1, but it was postponed. 

According to a clerk from Judge Schiffer’s Chambers, the case was moved to Aug. 3 due to a scheduling error and an overcrowded docket. 

Defendant Montay Shuler and his attorney James Johnston did not appear in court as a result. 

According to the Maryland Judiciary website, Shuler, 24, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, two counts of firearm use in a felony violent crime, and illegal possession of a regulated firearm in connection to an Aug. 5, 2021 incident. 

On June 30, the codefendant in this case, Raekwon Griffin, was found guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery and two counts of firearm use in a felony violent crime. His sentencing will be on Dec. 1.

As stated in a Baltimore Police Department news release, at 8:20 p.m. on the night of the incident, officers were called to the 4300 block of Flowerton Road for reports of shots being fired. Upon their arrival, officers found 26-year-old Brian Palmer and& 33-year-old Darrin Stewart suffering from gunshot wounds inside a vehicle. 

According to charging documents, Griffin shot the victims after a possible drug deal. Shuler and Griffin can be seen leaving the scene in a white 2008 Subaru Sedan. It is believed that the men stole a firearm from Palmer. Fingerprints in the car were used to identify the defendants as suspects.